Did Apple Inspire the Galaxy S III?

In an effort to avoid another legal battle with Apple, some critics believe that Samsung has designed the upcoming Galaxy S III to stand apart from the iPhone.

But instead of praising Samsung for its creative efforts, bloggers have criticized the company for trying too hard.

went as far as to say that the Galaxy S III was the "first smartphone designed entirely by lawyers." Author Ron Amadeo called the device an "amorphous, unsymmetrical blob that doesn't come in black, with a non-permanent dock and non-square icons," adding that there's "no way Apple can add this design to their Samsung lawsuit." Now Samsung has finally decided to respond to the complaints. According to

(via

), Chang Dong-hoon, Samsung's VP of design, told reporters -- including

-- that the company's change in smartphone design "is part of a five-year plan, not a sudden turn-around." Dong-hoon reportedly made this statement at the 2012 Seoul Digital Forum today. Whether the Galaxy S III was designed by lawyers or simply came out of several design iterations (as the company claims), one thing is clear: Apple has had quite the influence on the evolution of Samsung smartphones. Is anyone here surprised?